Russell Pinkston (b. 1949) currently resides in Austin TX, where he is Professor of Music Composition and Director of Electronic Music Studios at The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College (BA 1975) and Columbia University (MA 1979, DMA 1984), where he studied composition with Jon Appleton, Jack Beeson, Mario Davidovsky, George Edwards, and Chou Wen-chung. He is active both as a composer and as a prominent pedagogue and researcher in the field of computer music. His compositions span a wide range of different media, including symphonic, choral, and chamber works, electronic music for modern dance, and interactive performance pieces. He has received a number of significant honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and a senior Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil. He is a founding member and former President of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, and has served as Regional Representative for the Americas for the International Computer Music Association.

Albums

REACT

Release Date: April 8, 2016
Catalog Number: RR7930
21st Century
Chamber
Electroacoustic
Flute
Violin
Violinist Mikylah Myers and flutist Francesca Arnone perform diverse electroacoustic pieces on their first collaborative album REACT, released on Ravello Records. The works on this album demonstrate well the potential range of electroacoustic music in facilitating both experimental and traditional compositional ideas. The featured composers explore new ways of creating and organizing sound, and as performed with either computer or other interactive electronics, the violin and flute help construct unique sonic landscapes.

Balancing Acts

Release Date: January 8, 2016
Catalog Number: RR7921
21st Century
Chamber
Electronic
Flute
Piano
On his Ravello Records release BALANCING ACTS, composer and sound designer Russell Pinkston showcases a selection of his compositions for acoustic instruments and electronic sounds. Most of these pieces combine the two, capitalizing on the absolute precision and unlimited sonic potential of electronic media, while still taking advantage of the spontaneity and expressivity of live performance. Several works feature interactive software written by the composer, which tracks a live performer and generates an electronic accompaniment in real time.

Tornado Project

Release Date: July 10, 2015
Catalog Number: RR7908
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Electronic
Flute
As a ferocious wind storm spins up all things in its path, The Tornado Project, conceived by composers Ricardo Climent and Paul Wilson, cuts a path through the repertoire of 21st-century electroacoustic music, presenting a collection of works for flute, clarinet, and computer-generated sound that explore the chaotic beauty of this trio. With performances by two American wind virtuosi - clarinetist Esther Lamneck and flutist Elizabeth McNutt - these works showcase the skills of the musicians, their dynamic relationships with the computer, and the composers' innovative, colorful, and resourceful styles.